photography

It took three days, and a LOT of coaxing, but Matt and I were finally able to brush Petey’s teeth. Petey is our Miniature Australian Shepherd, and we are totally in love with him. When he gets really excited, he grabs a toy and runs in circles, shaking his little rear end (since he doesn’t have a tail). Once we finally won the battle of the toothbrush, we let him have the toothbrush and watched him go in circles. He is a cutie!

I have a very difficult time posting images from weddings because there are so many images to choose from – and I am not the best person at whittling those images down. So I have been remiss in posting the last few weddings we have shot. Thankfully Matt will be helping me choose some images over the next few weeks! In the mean time, I leave you with a sneak peak from the wedding we were at this past Saturday. Chantal and Tim were one of the most in love couples we have had the pleasure of working with, and Matt and I had to laugh when they ended the night with an impromptu foray into the La Playa pool. Enjoy.

The couple:

Jackie

Impromptu Jump into La Playa Pool:

And the foray into the hot tub:

It was so full that water was running out the sides!

For my photographer friends wondering how we captured these shots at night: Matt and I used our Canon 5Ds at their highest ISO, with wide-angle lenses at their widest apertures. Because the ambient light wasn’t enough to capture Chantal jumping into the water, we added some video light by placing the light on a monopod and aiming it at her. We didn’t want to use flash because the color temperature of the flash wouldn’t match the ambient light (we do have gels, but that’s not an ideal solution), and we wanted to capture the atmosphere. Special thanks goes to Matt, who not only held the light, but kept shooting.

Family is really important to us. Sometimes I feel like we don’t put a high enough priority on spending time with our family – especially our grandparents. Time is short and we have a limited supply. I was reminded of thhis when my cousin visited us on Monday. She and her family are moving to Michigan for the foreseeable future, but it still hasn’t struck me that they are leaving Florida. My entire family has lived here for so long, it is hard to comprehend a long-distance move. In honor of her moving, we all took pictures of our grandparents and their great-grandchildren – her daughters and my nieces. I haven’t taken enough time out to really photograph my grandparents, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. I wanted to focus on conveying who they are, so I used natural lighting and a telephoto lens. I feel like these pictures really portray who they are.

Cassie and Scott are one of the cutest couples I have ever met. They met in St. Augustine while Cassie was in college. One thing I love about meeting all different couples is that each couple has a different personality and I love bringing that out in people. Cassie and Scott are both surfers who love having fun and love the outdoors, and they gave me free reign to do whatever I wanted. So I thought it would only be fitting if they had a picnic. Asside from the heat and the mosquitoes, it would be something memorable for them to look back on later and enjoy. We had so much fun at Koreshan Park. Here are some pictures.

We were already breaking a few rules, so I brought water instead of champagne:

Shari Bare has a very special place in my heart. When I first became interested in wedding photography, she is the photographer who let me tag along and learn the ropes. She has taken me to dinner, told me all about the industry, and really helped me grow as a photographer. Shari is one of the most wonderful people you will ever meet – she’s always kind, never assuming, and makes you feel all happy inside when you talk with her! So you can imagine how sad I was to hear that she was moving to Austin, TX. A few weeks before she and Sean moved, we shot their engagement session. They were just married this past weekend, and I thought it would be lovely to post their engagement session in honor of their marriage. Shari, we really miss you here! I hope Texas is as wonderful as all the Texans claim!

First, a few shots from inside their apartment:

We went to Blu Sushi on Third Street South in Naples. It was the last day they were open. They said they would re-open during season, but Matt and I have confirmed that Blu Sushi is no where near re-opening. And we’re kind of bitter that we don’t know who they sold the furniture to!

No Naples day is complete without a trip to the beach:

And no trip to the beach is complete without trashing your dress:

They requested a few shots that could be made into panoramas. I thought we could end with this one:

Congrats on your wedding, Shari, and I hope you are having an awesome honeymoon!!!